The goal of this study was to examine whether a storybook about home safety would increase hazard recognition, and reduce risky behaviour in children three through five years of age. Participants were randomly assigned to either receive the storybook intervention or a control condition. While robust group differences were not found, the results revealed trends as expected. There was a significant increase in hazard identification scores from pre- to post-intervention in the intervention but not the control condition, with greater reading time positively associated with larger improvements. Moreover, while children in the control group showed a marginally significant increase in number of hazards they touched from pre- to post-intervention, those in the intervention group did not. The pattern of these findings suggests that the storybook intervention, to some extent, positively impacted both knowledge and behaviour. Suggestions for future research are discussed.

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The original purpose of this investigation was to determine if soccer players who performed an agility training program in a specialized training shoe would have a lower incidence of acute ankle sprains as compared to controls. Two elite male college soccer teams participated in the study. The experimental team performed an agility training program two to three days per week over a three month period wearing the Nike Free Trainer. Data on ankle sprain incidence throughout the season was collected, as well as scores on tests of ankle strength, static balance, dynamic balance, agility and self-reports of ankle function. These scores were compared to those of the control team. Statistical analysis showed a statistically significant improvement in the experimental team members in the anteromedial reach direction of the dynamic balance test (p=0.001). This group also showed positive trends in ankle strength ratio and five of the eight other reach directions of the dynamic balance test. Unfortunately, pre-test, post-test statistical analysis was possible for only half of the experimental team subjects. Post-test data was not generated for the other half of these subjects due to unrelated injury or subject noncompliance. Lack of pre-test data due to subject non-compliance in the control team hindered between group statistical comparisons. This study uncovered promising trends as to the potential for gains in dynamic balance as a result of agility training with Nike Free Trainer. This study also established the reliability of three clinical tests of ankle strength, static balance and dynamic balance. Future well-designed studies are recommended to research this area further to discern the effect of this agility training program on dynamic balance and establish its’ effect on ankle sprain incidence.

The original purpose of this investigation was to determine if soccer players who performed an agility training program in a specialized training shoe would have a lower incidence of acute ankle sprains as compared to controls. Two elite male college soccer teams participated in the study. The experimental team performed an agility training program two to three days per week over a three month period wearing the Nike Free Trainer. Data on ankle sprain incidence throughout the season was collected, as well as scores on tests of ankle strength, static balance, dynamic balance, agility and self-reports of ankle function. These scores were compared to those of the control team. Statistical analysis showed a statistically significant improvement in the experimental team members in the anteromedial reach direction of the dynamic balance test (p=0.001). This group also showed positive trends in ankle strength ratio and five of the eight other reach directions of the dynamic balance test. Unfortunately, pre-test, post-test statistical analysis was possible for only half of the experimental team subjects. Post-test data was not generated for the other half of these subjects due to unrelated injury or subject noncompliance. Lack of pre-test data due to subject non-compliance in the control team hindered between group statistical comparisons. This study uncovered promising trends as to the potential for gains in dynamic balance as a result of agility training with Nike Free Trainer. This study also established the reliability of three clinical tests of ankle strength, static balance and dynamic balance. Future well-designed studies are recommended to research this area further to discern the effect of this agility training program on dynamic balance and establish its’ effect on ankle sprain incidence.

The original purpose of this investigation was to determine if soccer players who performed an agility training program in a specialized training shoe would have a lower incidence of acute ankle sprains as compared to controls. Two elite male college soccer teams participated in the study. The experimental team performed an agility training program two to three days per week over a three month period wearing the Nike Free Trainer. Data on ankle sprain incidence throughout the season was collected, as well as scores on tests of ankle strength, static balance, dynamic balance, agility and self-reports of ankle function. These scores were compared to those of the control team. Statistical analysis showed a statistically significant improvement in the experimental team members in the anteromedial reach direction of the dynamic balance test (p=0.001). This group also showed positive trends in ankle strength ratio and five of the eight other reach directions of the dynamic balance test. Unfortunately, pre-test, post-test statistical analysis was possible for only half of the experimental team subjects. Post-test data was not generated for the other half of these subjects due to unrelated injury or subject noncompliance. Lack of pre-test data due to subject non-compliance in the control team hindered between group statistical comparisons. This study uncovered promising trends as to the potential for gains in dynamic balance as a result of agility training with Nike Free Trainer. This study also established the reliability of three clinical tests of ankle strength, static balance and dynamic balance. Future well-designed studies are recommended to research this area further to discern the effect of this agility training program on dynamic balance and establish its’ effect on ankle sprain incidence. / Education, Faculty of / Kinesiology, School of / Graduate

Parental perspectives on risk and danger are important to consider in children’s injury prevention research, as they influence children’s adoption of safety strategies and influence how children approach risk and danger (Brussoni & Olsen, 2011). Despite single, stay-at-home, and gay fathers’ increasing numbers and the important roles they play in their children’s development, there has been a lack of research on their perspectives on children’s engagement in outdoor risky play until now. This thesis is written in the publishable paper format and is comprised of two papers, which were informed by poststructural feminist theory. In the first paper, I used semi-structured and photo-elicitation interviews and critical discourse analysis to explore single, stay-at-home, and gay fathers’ perspectives of their 4-12 year old children’s engagement in outdoor risky play and how they relate to tension-filled discourses of “good” fathering. In the second paper, I also used semi-structured and photo-elicitation interviews, but I explored single, stay-at-home, and gay fathers’ perspectives of masculinity and its influence on their understanding of their children’s outdoor risky play. Taken together, the findings from both papers showcase the important roles that single, stay-at-home, and gay fathers play in their children’s outdoor risky play.

Patients returning to sport after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery currently have a high risk for sustaining a second ACL injury and having early signs of knee osteoarthritis. Assessing lower extremity kinetics and kinematics during landing can provide information about a patient's risk for sustaining a second ACL injury and having further joint trauma. However, currently accepted methods to assess kinetics and kinematics are not feasible to use in most non-research settings as they are expensive, time consuming, and take up a lot of space. The goal of this project was to identify methods to assess landing mechanics which are reliable and feasible to use in non-research settings. First, we found that the loadsol®, a wireless force sensing shoe insole, is valid relative to embedded force plates and repeatable between days for assessing kinetics and kinetic symmetry during bilateral and unilateral landing tasks. Second, we developed a new method to collect continuous kinematic data using a low-cost videocamera, disposable markers, and an automated point tracking program. This method was validated against a 3D motion capture system for measuring a fixed angle and for measuring sagittal plane running kinematics. Third, we found that the new video analysis method is valid relative to 3D motion capture and is repeatable between days for assessing frontal and sagittal plane knee kinematics during landing. Finally, we used the loadsol® and automated 2D video analysis to assess landing mechanics in both patients following ACL reconstruction and healthy uninjured control participants in a non-research setting. We found that, relative to controls, patients following ACL reconstruction had reduced kinetic symmetry during bilateral landing, where they offloaded their surgical limb and relied more heavily on their non-surgical limb. Additionally, patients following ACL reconstruction had reduced knee flexion range of motion symmetry during unilateral landing, where they had reduced knee flexion when landing on their surgical limb. Collectively, these projects developed methods to quantitatively assess landing mechanics that are feasible to use in non-research settings, documented the validity and between-day repeatability of these methods, and demonstrated that they could be used to identify kinetic and kinematic deficits in patients following ACL reconstruction. This project is an important step toward being able to assess landing mechanics in patients recovering from an ACL reconstruction. / Doctor of Philosophy / The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a bundle of connective tissue that helps stabilize the knee joint. ACL injuries are common in sport, and ACL reconstruction surgery is the most widely used treatment strategy for patients who wish to return to playing sports. Unfortunately, even after ACL surgery and rehabilitation, many patients who return to sport wind up getting hurt again and developing severe joint pain down the road. Previous research has identified movement and loading patterns which are associated with this increased risk for further injury in patients following ACL reconstruction. For example, patients who have increased asymmetry when landing from a jump, where they shift weight away from their surgical limb and towards their non-surgical limb, have an increased likelihood of sustaining a second ACL injury to either their surgical or non-surgical leg. Assessing movement during rehabilitation could help identify patients who exhibit poor movement mechanics and improve movement to reduce their risk for second injuries. However, there are not currently methods available to reliably assess movement that are feasible for widespread use in non-research settings (i.e. physical therapy clinics). The purpose of this project was to identify and develop methods to assess movement which are accurate and feasible to use in a clinical setting. In this dissertation, we first determined the accuracy of using wireless force sensing shoe insoles to measure how hard and how symmetrically people contact the ground when they land from a jump. Second, we developed a new method to measure knee motion using videos collected with low-cost cameras (e.g. iPad), and determined the accuracy of this method compared to a three-dimensional motion capture system. For the last part of this dissertation we demonstrated that the aforementioned methods could be used to identify deficits in landing mechanics in patients following ACL reconstruction in a non-research setting. When comparing ACL reconstruction patients with uninjured controls, we found movement and loading asymmetries which were expected and which are associated with the risk for second ACL injuries and early onset knee osteoarthritis. This project is an important step towards being able to assess landing mechanics in patients recovering from an ACL reconstruction, which could improve our ability to prevent subsequent injuries in this clinical population.

In 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics documented injury rates of musculoskeletal injuries requiring days away from work in the full-time firefighter work force at approximately 185/10,000 employees. This represents a staggering cost to municipalities in overtime salaries as well as departmental readiness to meet community needs. We propose, in year one of the project, to observationally determine the prospective association between physical performance measures at baseline and risk of future musculoskeletal injury in a cohort of municipal firefighters of the Austin Fire Department (AFD). We will implement an injury registry surveillance system as well as utilize the AFD Wellness Center physical fitness evaluation of all firefighters within AFD. The prospective association between changes in physical performance measures and risk of musculoskeletal injury within a cohort of AFD firefighters will allow determination of risk of occupational injury incidence and injury severity. To study the effect of musculoskeletal training on lowering the risk of occupationally-related injury, we will conduct a randomized cluster cross-over trial. The critical intervention will be a strength training intervention of six months duration, implemented in Year 2. There are a total of 43 fire stations in the AFD. We will randomize 50% of the fire stations in a strength training intervention for six months with the remaining 50% of fire station participating for the second six months. Changes in fitness, strength, and incidence of injury will be monitored for the 12 months of this design. Results from this study will be disseminated to firefighting agencies with strategies for occupationally-related musculoskeletal injury prevention. / text

<p>Football is the most popular sport in the world, and it continues to have a progressive annual increase in the number of active players and the number of games played per season, which in turn, leads to an increase in the frequency of injuries. Football is extensively researched worldwide, however, some current studies confirm that the results on football injury factors are limited, as well as inconsistent and incomplete. The main aim of this study was to examine interrelating factors of football injuries through the various age groups at a designated football club. The study aimed to expose the injury risk factors and patterns present in the various age groups.</p>

English men's community rugby boasts the largest adult rugby playing population in the world. While regular participation in rugby has been linked to clinical health benefits there is an inherent risk of injury associated with rugby participation due to its collision based nature. This programme of research was conducted to identify means to reduce the injury risk in the context of men's community rugby. In Chapter 3, the Functional Movement Screen is used to assess the movement competency of men's community rugby players. Injury match exposure data was recorded for each player, and analysed to determine associations between players' movement competency and injury outcomes. Players that displayed both of pain and asymmetry on screening were associated with an incidence of overall injury at 22.0 injuries/1000 player match-hours. Players that scored 16 or more had an incidence of overall injury at 12.4 injuries/1000 player match-hours. Chapter 4 details the multi-stage process used to develop the injury prevention exercise programme specific to men's community rugby. Chapter 5 investigated barriers and facilitators to programme implementation in a sample of men's community rugby clubs. Results informed the refinement of the intervention exercise programme and detailed means to maximise successful delivery of the programme to clubs. Chapter 6 was a cluster randomised controlled trial of the final injury prevention exercise programme. Clear beneficial effects following implementation included a 40% reduction in targeted lower-limb injury and a 60% reduction in concussion compared to the control group. The injury burden for intervention clubs with higher compliance was reduced 50% compared to intervention clubs with lower compliance. Functional Movement Screening™ may identify men's community rugby players at higher risk of match injury. A targeted movement control exercise programme can provide efficacious means to reduce injury that is practicable within the men's community rugby environment.